Mistake
by themoonlightdragon
Summary: Ivory has never been able to breathe underwater. Condor has never flown before. Mallard is alone without any sibs. Seven dragons. One winglet. They've never felt like they were able to fit in. But when they meet each other, they might realize that it's not such a bad thing.
1. Journey

_Seven dragons._

 _A SeaWing who can't breathe underwater, a SkyWing who can't fly, a SandWing without a venomous barb, a RainWing who can't change his/her scales, a MudWing with no sibs, an IceWing without frostbreath, and NightWing-MudWing hybrid._

 _These will be the dragons in the Quartz Winglet. I'll accept OC's with these descriptions, minus the first three because I already used those. I won't necessarily accept all of these; I'll just accept ones I like. It's NOT first come, first serve, so don't freak out about that. Feel free to submit more than one OC._

 _Thanks!_ 😃

 _-fantasy_

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **Journey**

 **~Ivory**

"Bye, Mama."

I hugged my mother close, hearing the sound of her next to my ear. "I love you, Ivory," she said quietly, pulling away from the hug. She lifted my chin, and I saw my reflection in her deep blue eyes.

My scales were the color of the sky, my eyes emerald green. I normally would have been considered a very pretty dragonet, if not for my one deformity.

I had no gills.

They just weren't there. It was a birth defect, the doctors told my mother. They whispered things, unspeakable things, when they thought I couldn't hear. They talked about sending me to a home for disabled dragonets. I was an outcast in my own tribe.

But my mother, the one dragon in the world who loved me for who I was, she would never send me to a home. She said I was worth more than the moons to her. She was my best friend.

After I was born with no gills, my father left. I never saw him again. But it didn't matter to me that I clearly wasn't good enough for him. I had my mother, and she meant everything to me. She was the one dragon who loved me and cared for me despite my deformity.

So that was why she didn't want to send me to the Jade Mountain Academy.

"You can't leave me!" she protested. "You are my moons, Ivory. You can't leave. You just can't." The words whistled through my ears like a calm ocean current. _You are my moons, Ivory. You can't leave. You just can't._

"But I can finally be normal," I said desperately. "Everything will be different. I can have friends!"

"I'm your friend, Ivory," said Mother. "Isn't that enough?"

But now, here I am, ready to travel to Jade Mountain Academy. And I have jellyfish in my stomach, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't go at all.

But the word _friends_ is enough to make me want to go. Jade Mountain will be a new beginning. I can finally fit in. I won't be alone anymore.

"Goodbye," I said, blinking rapidly to keep the tears out of my eyes.

"Goodbye, Ivory."

 **~Condor**

I trekked through the mountains, the grumpy red-gold SkyWing guard poking me in the back impatiently with his spear. He didn't seem happy about having to walk through the mountains. _Suck it up!_ I thought angrily. _I have to deal with this every day!_

It wasn't my fault I was born with a wing deformity. It wasn't my fault that my father died in the Great War before I was hatched. It wasn't my fault my mother died soon after.

After a sharp poke that almost penetrated my scales, I whirled around and yelled, "STOP THAT!"

The guard lowered his spear and growled impatiently at me. I narrowed my eyes and walked quickly ahead of him. It was guards like these who made my life miserable, acting like I was slow on purpose. Acting like I was born with a broken wing on purpose.

Things would be different at the Academy. I knew they would.

I scanned through my list of dragon tribes and what I knew about them, mumbling it underneath my breath. It was a bit like a song.

 _Mysterious NightWings, IceWings crazy_

 _Hungry MudWings, RainWings lazy_

 _SeaWings are flappy, SandWings make a mess_

 _SkyWings are better than all the rest_

Didn't seem like a very promising group, but I'd only heard of these from SkyWings, and I knew from personal experience that they were prejudiced against anyone different. They threw most dragons who were imperfect off of a cliff when they hatched.

Maybe... maybe there was another way.

 **~Tumbleweed**

As we flew through the sky, the wind whipping around our wings and faces, I noticed all the other dragonets curling their tails in a practiced manner behind them. I curled up my own tail. Maybe then it would be less noticeable. Maybe then I'd look more like the others.

The desert was rapidly disappearing, the landscape giving way to mountains. The land was odd, curving up and down and left and right. The desert never folded like that. Somehow it was weirdly beautiful.

"How in the moons are we going to hunt here?" whined Sandstorm, a pale sand-colored dragonet about a year older than me. "The land is all squiggly!"

"You can probably use your venomous tails," said the glossy purple-black NightWing who'd been sent to retrieve us from the Sand Kingdom. All at once, the SandWing dragonets turned around to stare at me. I felt my face getting hot and stared down at my talons.

"Let's land," said the NightWing, apparently unaware of my discomfort. "We're here!"

I flapped my wings, carefully slowing down and landing with a _thump_ on the ground. I shook out my pale wings and stretched. There was a large opening at the cave entrance, and inside a large sign hung from the walls proclaiming, "WELCOME TO JADE MOUNTAIN ACADEMY!" Multicolored lanterns hung from the ceiling; flower garlands adorned the walls.

I felt my heart fill up with hope. Maybe things could be different here.


	2. Clawmates

OC submission is now closed. I got so many great submissions, and I had trouble deciding. Every OC I got was really awesome, so I hope you guys are pleased. I may accept more in the future.

Thanks to Nova, Comet, Lemon, Puggle, and RainWing guest.

😁️fantasy

 **OCs Accepted:**

 **Muskrat,** submitted by Comettail of the NightWings. Male. MudWing/NightWing hybrid. Quartz Winglet.

 **Mallard,** submitted by RainWing guest. Male. MudWing. Quartz Winglet.

 **Flower,** submitted by NovaSpiritWolf. Female. RainWing. Quartz Winglet.

 **Blitz,** submitted by LemonDrops334. Female. IceWing. Quartz Winglet.

 **Tropic,** submitted by Puggle. Female. RainWing. Silver Winglet.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Clawmates**

 **~Flower**

"I wish _you_ could be my clawmate," I said softly. I knew whoever my clawmate would be would hate me because of my scales. But Tropic was my best friend. She would never be mean to me.

"That's not how it works," said Tropic. "Go on, this is your cave."

"Okay. I- I'll see you later, okay?"

"Of course."

I gulped and nervously walked into my cave. A large red-gold SkyWing stared menacingly at me. My heart beat like a drum. _Don't let her see that you're scared,_ I thought to myself. _Be bold. That's what Tropic would say._

"Hey." I tried to lift my chin a little and look imposing.

"Great," I could hear her mutter under her breath. "A lazy, happy RainWing." To me, she said, "Hey." She peered at my mossy green scales. "What do green scales mean?"

"Oh- oh," I paused, "Well, I wouldn't know. I- I can't change the color of my scales."

She tilted her head. Her wing fluttered unconsiously, and for a moment a flash of a thought crossed my mind and I thought it might be that there was a glimmer of understanding in her eyes.

Then she stood up. "I- I gotta go," she said. Her voice was shaky.

As I watched the red-gold dragon disappear behind the corner, I knew that, thanks to my scales, I'd lost my only chance of a friend.

 **~Condor**

I stormed out of the room. My talons were shaking like crazy. I had to get out of there. What was Starflight _thinking,_ putting me in with a dragon like her?

It couldn't be a coincedence. They put me there because they thought we'd be friends. They put me there because they thought I couldn't be friends with anyone normal. They thought a little disabled RainWing would be my only friend.

I was racing down the hall, trying to get the library, ready to yell the moons out of that dragon-

I rammed into a large orange dragon.

I stepped back, knowing I was in trouble. It was Harrier and his cronies, and I knew any time I saw them it meant trouble. Sure enough, Harrier pinned me up against the cave wall.

"Whadda you think you're doing?" he hissed, leaning forwards.

"Sorry," I said, rolling my eyes and trying to appear bored. If I let him see that I was scared, he'd just hurt me more. "I was trying to get to the library."

"Figures," he snorted, "Scrollworm like you."

I tried to come up with something biting and comeback-ish, but I couldn't think of anything. Maybe something like, _just because you never opened a scroll in your life doesn't mean I can't._

"Well, we were just gonna hang out with the other SkyWings," said Sparrowhawk, a burly red dragon with small, beady eyes. "And we were thinking you might wanna go with us." He paused for a second. "Oh! Right! We only hang out with dragons who can fly."

I narrowed my eyes. My heart felt like it was being pecked by the sharp beak of some bird. The SkyWings chortled. I ducked my head.

"Go off to the library, then," said Harrier, releasing me. "You got off lucky this time, mistake."

 **~Ivory**

I curled my shoulders inwards, hoping nobody would notice me. The brochures called it a "small little school". I kind of figured it would just have a few students, but it was swarming with colorful dragons of all tribes.

I backed up nervously and cried out when I bumped into a small IceWing.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me-" I yelped.

"It's okay," said the IceWing. She had light blue scales like me, but hers had an icy sheen to them. She had large, scared eyes and a row of sharp-looking spikes down her back. Her voice was soft and husky. "I'm- I'm looking for my sleeping cave. It's cave 3-B?"

I looked down at my scroll. "Hey, that's my sleeping cave," I said quietly. "We're clawmates."

"Oh- oh," said the IceWing.

"I'm Ivory," I said, smiling shyly at her. "Come on, I think it's this way."

"Thanks," said the IceWing, looking down at her talons. "I- I'm Blitz, by the way."

She looked like a good clawmate. She seemed quiet. I was worried I'd get one of the fierce-looking SkyWings or the grumpy-looking NightWings. To be honest, from what I'd heard about IceWings, they were a bit arrogant, but she seemed pretty nice.

We both wandered around for a few minutes until we found our cave.

"Here it is," I said. _3-B_ was carved into the wall outside. I peeked in. Two hammocks hung on opposite sides of the room, one blue, and the other blue-and-white striped.

"A hammock?" Blitz said, examining the blue and white one. "I've never slept in a hammock before." She rocked it gently side to side with her talon.

And that was when she started screaming.

A high-pitched shriek like a bird's call filled the room. I could hardly hear myself think. Her big cream-colored eyes were wide with terror, and she wouldn't stop screaming. I looked around, desperately trying to find help, but of course there was nobody nearby.

 _What did I do wrong?_


	3. Winglets

**Chapter 2**

 **Winglets**

 **~Mallard**

I hunched my shoulders and walked forwards. There was nobody in the halls. That was when I knew I was late. Of course, it's not easy to get to school on time when there's nobody there to help you.

I ducked my head, longing for the warmth of muddy brown wings to stretch around me. I had watched the other MudWings and their sibs for as long as I could remember. They were connected by a bond. I felt like an outcast, not having anybody to help me hunt or fly with me.

And on top of that, I was constantly teased, as if it was my fault the other eggs came out cracked. Everyone played with their sibs at school. I just sat in the mud, alone and abandoned.

That was why I so desperately wanted to come to this school. I would have what they called a "clawmate". A dragon from a different tribe. Somebody to be my sib.

I got everything I hoped for and more. Muskrat was a hybrid, a NightWing hybrid, but he was part MudWing too, and he wanted sibs too.

I was dreading meeting the rest of my winglet. I had Muskrat, and that was all I needed. Finally, somebody who understood me! He, like me, didn't have any sibs, so we met and- zing!- it was like I had met my long-lost twin brother.

We even looked alike. Of course, being half NightWing, he didn't look like a typical MudWing. But we had the same big eyes, and the same flat snout, and the same longing for a sibling.

I didn't want to meet the rest of my winglet, who would probably hate me.

We walked into the prey center. I saw a fierce-looking SkyWing sitting by herself, a SandWing and a RainWing sitting together, and an IceWing and a SeaWing huddled next to each other, both looking very scared.

The first thing I noticed was the SandWing. For one, she didn't have a barb on the end of her tail. For the other, she was talking to the RainWing. I didn't think SandWings and RainWings got along.

A SkyWing sat on a tall ledge, high above everyone else. She was presumably our leader. There was something odd about her. Her scales were a coppery color, and her eyes were dark blue. It looked as if smoke was rising from her scales.

"Hi," she said, looking down. "Muskrat and Mallard, I assume?" She grinned down at us. "I'm Peril. I have firescales, so be warned."

So that was why she was so high up, I realized. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

 **~Condor**

So she was an outcast SkyWing. Like me.

"Let's do introductions," she said. "I'm Peril, like I said. My favorite color is... hmm, orange. And I teach here at Jade Mountain. I used to go here myself, and I liked it so much, I stayed. Now... you," she said, pointing at me. "Why don't you go first?"

"My name is Condor," I said, scowling. "My favorite color is red, I live in the Sky Kingdom, and I want to know why you placed me in a winglet full of mistakes."

Flower looked at me with hurt green eyes.

"It's true!" I said. "You put us all at Jade Mountain because you felt sorry for us! Didn't you?" I challenged. "I can't fly, and Flower can't change her scales, and Tumbleweed doesn't have a poisonous barb on the end of her tail! And I bet everybody else is the same way too!"

The MudWing looked down. "That's true," he reflected, looking down at his talons sadly. "I don't have any sibs and Muskrat is a hybrid."

"Me too," said the SeaWing softly. She looked upset. "I can't breathe underwater." She looked at the dragon sitting next to her, a shy-looking IceWing. "I guess Blitz is the only one who's normal."

"I'm not," said the IceWing- Blitz- and she looked down. "I can't breathe frostbreath. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was worried you would hate me."

"So we're both different," said the SeaWing.

"We're _all_ different," Tumbleweed corrected.

"Why do you all sound so happy about that!" I exploded. "They put us in a winglet with everyone else who was different! So that the others could laugh in our faces and spit at our talons!"

 **~Ivory**

Condor kept raging, but all I could think about was how Blitz was different, too. She was an outcast, like me. Was that why she had been so scared yesterday?

After she stopped screaming, she insisted she was fine. "It was nothing," she said, her eyes screaming the truth. "That just- that happens sometimes. I'm okay. Let's go to the library."

"Oh- okay," I had said. As she disappeared behind the corner, I went over to look at her hammock. There was nothing wrong with it as far as I could see.

I followed after her, my talons scraping on a tiny crack in the floor.


	4. Different

**Chapter 3**

 **Different**

 **~Flower**

After lunch, Tropic pulled me aside so we could go do suntime. I guess she noticed I was unnaturally quiet or something, because she shook me playfully. "Where's my happy, chatty friend? What's wrong?"

Should I tell her? I scraped my talons on the ground. "They- well, they- they put me in a winglet with other dragons like me. Other dragons with flaws."

Tropic blinked, her bright green eyes staring me down. "How do you feel about that?"

"I guess mixed, I said, looking down at the grass. "There are good things, of course- I mean, I get to talk to other dragons who more or less understand me. Tumbleweed, my clawmate, she's a lot like me. She's really funny and artistic. But she doesn't have the poisonous barb on the end of her tail.

"But it's upsetting too, you know? Condor, my clawmate, can't fly, and she's really mad about it. She says the founders didn't think- didn't think we could make friends with normal dragons." I choked out the last part.

"Well, that's ridiculous," said Tropic as we laid down in the grass. The sun filled me up inside, my scales soaking up the sunlight. "I'm your best friend, and you're my best friend. And I'm normal, right? I think you're the most interesting dragon ever. You're full of great ideas. And I think normal is boring. I wish I was like you."

"No," I said, suddenly feeling angry. "No, you don't."

"Well-" her voice wavered for a moment. "It's not a picnic, exactly, having your scales splash your emotions everywhere all willy-nilly."

"Don't complain," I snapped harshly. I'd been wishing my scales could change for my whole life, and here was my best friend lying next to me whining about how awful it is.

"Calm down," she said, placing her talon on my shoulder. "I wasn't trying to upset you. I know how tough life is for you. I'm not trying to make it out to be easy. I just- I guess, sometimes you just seem so special and different. And sometimes I kind of wish I had that."

"You say _special_ and _different_ are good words," I said. "I know differently." _If you only knew the half of it. The whispers, the stares, the way they act as if you're deaf and blind just because you can't change your scales._

Suddenly I didn't feel like suntime anymore. I didn't need it anyway, because my scales didn't change. "I gotta go," I said, hopping up. "I'll see you later."

"Wait! Flower!" I heard Tropic call as I walked away. "I didn't mean it like that-"

I don't look back.

 **~Tumbleweed**

I was sitting by myself, watching the other SandWings talk and laugh from a distance- they hadn't invited me- when I saw Flower swoop by. "Flower!" I called. "Come sit with me!"

Flower landed on the ground and sat down next to me, clearly grateful for the invitation. She followed my eyes to the other SandWings. "Why don't you go join them?" she asked.

"I wasn't invited," I said shortly.

She was silent. We sat there for a moment in silence, and unexpectedly, I felt words coming out of my mouth. "Do you ever feel... like you're in a bubble... and you're separated from the others? Do you ever feel like you'll never be 'normal'? Like you'll never fit in?"

"All the time," she answered softly. "I only have one friend, Tropic, and even when we're together, I still feel... different from her. Like I don't really belong."

"One friend is better than none."

"I guess that's true," she reflected.

"And Flower?"

"Yes?"

"I'll... I'll be your friend." I was only aware of how awkward it sounded once it had already left my mouth. I wished I could take it back and say something less sappy sounding. "I mean... if you want."

"I would like that very much," she said, smiling that little sideways smile of hers at me. "I think I could do with a friend like me. A friend who understands what it's like to be different."

And then all of the sudden I knew why they had put us in a winglet of dragons with flaws. It wasn't because they were trying to single us out. It was because they thought we would understand each other.

"I think we should go find Condor," I said.

"She's a little grouchy," Flower observed matter-of-factly.

I laughed, suddenly in a good mood. "I know," I said. "But I have a theory for why she's so grumpy. I think maybe- maybe she needs a friend."


	5. Molding

**Chapter 4**

 **Molding**

 **~Blitz**

By the moons. I had spent all this time thinking about how I was a mistake. Thinking Ivory, perfect Ivory, would never like me. But then it turns out that _she_ is different too!

I didn't know what to think. In a way, I was excited. _Ivory is just like me,_ I thought. But then I caught glimpse of her pale blue scales, so pale they almost looked like an IceWing, and the big emerald green eyes, and I knew I'd never be like her. I looked down at my own shimmering scales that were a weird color, and my talons that were to large and awkward, and my tail that wasn't strong enough.

I admired her, though. A lot. She was shy, like me, but at least she made an effort to talk to me. Usually I got so nervous when talking to her that I kind of just froze, or stuttered in that horrible annoying way.

And I knew she'd never like me. In addition to the talking thing, I had scared her that first day by screaming at the top of my lungs when I saw that crack. She probably thought I was a freak, or a scaredy cat. It wasn't my fault. I hated that crack on the bottom of the cave floor. It freaked me out; it reminded me of my old days.

 _No,_ I thought firmly. _We are NOT thinking about that._

But when Ivory invited me to come to the art cave with her, my heart leapt with joy. Art was one of the only things I was good at. Maybe Ivory liked art too.

 **~Ivory**

I was looking through the scrap wood, trying to find one the right size for carving, when Blitz looked up and asked, "Can I- can I draw you?"

I bit my lip and tried to ignore the smile spreading across my face. "Sure," I said, ducking my head so she wouldn't see. "If you'll let me make you."

"What- what are you going to do?" Blitz asked shyly.

"I'm going to carve something out of wood," I said.

"Out of wood?" Blitz had a slight smile on my face. "Back at the Ice Kingdom, we'd carve things out of ice. But when we were finished, we'd always spray a thin layer of frostbreath over them to seal them, and I couldn't do that, so nobody would let me carve."

"That's so unfair," I said, plucking a dark piece of wood the right size out of the scrap pile. I reached down into my leather bag and pulled out a small knife. Carefully, I started to whittle a little dragon out of the wood.

Blitz watched in fascination for a few moments, then picked up a pale blue brush and started to paint. We both worked in scilence for a few moments, but as I was carving the little spines on the IceWing's tail, I happened to look up and saw Blitz's picture.

"That's _amazing,_ " I said, my jaw dropping. Big emerald eyes stared out from the paper. An intelligent look was spread across the paper- I was sure I never looked like that. And even though there were no gills, she made me look like the most beautiful SeaWing in the ocean.

 **~Mallard**

We were outside on a picnic, Muskrat and I, sharing a large cow together. The meat was juicy and sweet.

"This is great," I said. "It's like having a real sib."

"It's not fair that you're an outcast in your own tribe just because you don't have any sibs," said Muskrat, looking up from his cow leg. "It's not like there's anything wrong with _you_."

"Actually..." I looked down. "I can't hold my breath for up to an hour either."

"Really?" Muskrat looked fascinated, rather than upset or lied to like I thought he would. "Was there something wrong with your egg?"

"I had sibs once," I said wistfully. "But they were like me. They were weak, and they died in their eggs. They couldn't survive. But somehow, maybe because I was the bigwings, I survived."

"That's so fascinating," Muskrat said. "Hey look, there's Flower and Tumbleweed."

I peered over to where he was pointing. "Look, there's someone in front of them. Is that... Condor?"

"So it is," said Muskrat, smiling. "Maybe they finally managed to break her."

 **~Condor**

"I'm only coming because you made me," I said loudly. And it was true... sort of. A tiny part of me had to admit that I was happy that they had invited me along.

 _Mysterious NightWings, IceWings crazy_

 _Hungry MudWings, RainWings lazy_

 _SeaWings are flappy, SandWings make a mess_

 _SkyWings are better than all the rest._

My rhyme didn't seem to have much truth in it at all. Muskrat wasn't the least bit mysterious, Blitz seemed perfectly sane, and Mallard didn't seem to be more hungry than anyone else. Flower- I _wished_ she was lazy. She was a ball of energy, Flower.

Ivory didn't seem flappy at all- just shy. Tumbleweed was even neater than I was, and I hated my tribe of stupid SkyWings. They thought they were all that just because they could fly faster than anybody else. _Good for you. Who cares?_

I knew I didn't fit the mold of a regular SkyWing. None of my winglet fit into the mold. But did that make me a mistake... or was that a good thing?


End file.
